Graceland Christian Church

Bro. David's Sermon

Join us for a sermon with Brother David!

Called, chosen, anointed, and sent by God

Called, chosen, anointed, and sent by God
 
Called by God = A person who is called by God to enter a sing relationship
with Jesus Christ. Everyone is called but only a small percentage answer the call. To be chosen by God is when a person is aware of "the call", surrenders to it and starts living out God's purpose for their lives. The Word "and" in the last sentence is what I want us to focus on this morning. We are called and chosen by God to touch and change the world around us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I got saved, it wasn't a church building or religion that I fell in love with, it was Jesus! Jesus saves us and immediately begins to transform our lives into the person we were originally created to be. This transformation will only go as far as we let it. How far are you committed to follow Jesus? The only people who are of any earthly good in this life are those unpossessed by possessions, who have already made a choice to follow Jesus at any cost and are not living for this world but for the next one. Chasing prosperity and comfort and more and more stuff isn't going to draw anyone to Christ. Jesus calls us to follow Him and he would make us fishers of men.
What an exciting journey to everyone who truly answers the call.

Are you living with God's righteousness?

Are You Living With God's Righteousness?
 
Righteousness = The act of living in a way that is just, honest, and faithful to God's instructions. Righteousness is a sign of a person's purity and holiness in their actions and heart. It's one of God's main attributes, it is a reflection of God. Righteousness is living in line with God's Word and His standards. We must be careful not to mix God's righteousness with "legalism". Legalism is believing that by doing good works or by obeying the law, a person earns and merits salvation. We as Christians live our lives in righteousness through God's amazing grace, it's not forced on us through do's and don'ts, it simple comes from the heart to please God in all we do. It is a terrible thing for someone to claim to be a christian and still act like a non-christian. We supposed to be a reflection of God's love, peace, grace, mercy, & righteousness, etc. Obedience to God's written and spoken Word is a great reflection of God's righteousness being lived out in our lives!

How are you preparing for your future?

How are you preparing for your future?
 
Preparing - To make someone ready or able to do or deal with something that will happen in the future. Biblical preparation is different than worldly preparation in that it begins with praying for God's timing and adjusting actions accordingly. This kind of preparation is what brings true peace to a believer. No one is certain of future events unless we can read it in Script but every christian can certainly be preparing and ready of the tings to come. WE must realize as God's children that God never does anything without sending warnings (signs) before things happen. In the world we live in today, Bible prophesy is being fulfilled right before our very eyes and most people are ignoring the signs. If there is a hurricane coming directly for us, we do everything within our ability to prepare, but when it comes to Spiritual things, we tend to be less concerned, just as in the days of Noah before the flood. Brothers and sisters, it's time to prepare for the future events that Jesus promised us were coming.

Are you living in God's will?

 
Are you living in God's will?
 
God's will refers to obedience to God's revealed will or plan for how we should live. I believe we can and should know God's specific will for our lives, I also believe that most christians will be very surprised when they get to Heaven and see the life that God had chosen compared to the ones that we lived. Romans 11:39 says - For the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable.
Meaning that before we were created, God predestined our lives and no matter if we want or like, the callings (or will of God) we cannot change them and still be pleasing to God. Jesus taught us to pray, "Lord, Your will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." I pray that if you have not been truly seeking God's perfect will for your life, you will begin today! In Luke 6:46 Jesus said Why do you call Me Lord Lord and do not do what I say? The best place we as christians can be is in His will. If we are outside of His will we will never know the true joy of working for God's kingdom.

Stay with Him

"Stay with Him"
 
Stay = To continue or remain in a place or condition. Today's message can be
a strong waning to those who are drifting away from Christ or it can be an encouragement to those who are rooted and grounded in God's love. No one likes being the bearer of bad news, but the reality is that when Jesus gave a parable in Matthew 13, only a fourth of the people who heard God's Word positioned themselves to continue to be obedient to His Word. When Jesus said in John 8:31, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed", Jesus was saying that if we live by His principles, practices, purposes, and promises, when circumstances arise, we will not run from Him but to Him!

What does God expect from Christians?

What does God expect from Christians?
 
Expect in Hebrew means to wait, to look forward to, to anticipate.
Anticipate means to realize beforehand, to foresee. Remember Jeremiah 1:5?
The Lord told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you, I knew you, sanctified you and ordained you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah, like so many of us today, immediately began to make excuses as to why he couldn't do what God commanded him to do. One of the most common excuses for not doing what God expects of us is the fear of failure. This, sad to say happens in the modern day church because many or most Christians try living their lives or fulfilling their calling in their own natural power or ability, which never works and nobody benefits from it. Before Christ was crucified, He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to help us as believers to fulfill what God created us for! There are people suffering all over the world today because Christians are not fulfilling the duties of Christ. This must hurt the heart of our Father. Let's remember that the true evidence of the Spirit of God living in us is our desire for personal holiness and fellowship with God and doing what He expects from us! Let's all strive to be well pleasing to our Father in Heaven.

Preventative Spiritual Maintenance

 
"Preventative Spiritual Maintenance"
 
Preventative = 1. Designed to keep something undesirable such as illness,
harm, or accidents from occurring; preventive. 2. A medicine or other treatment designed to stop disease or ill health from occurring. Maintenance = The process of preserving someone or something, the process of keeping something in good condition. What is the "status" of your spiritual walk with Jesus? The Scriptures teach us that the rain (blessing and problems, etc.) fall on the just and unjust alike (Matt. 5:45). In this life, there are things that we certainly cannot control, but, there are many things that we are capable of letting in our lives that will eventually wear us down and make us slowly lose our intimacy with Jesus. I pray that all Christians look to God's Word and do some preventative Spiritual maintenance, it will work for our good as lives goes on!

Do not limit the Holy Spirit

 
"Do not limit the Holy Spirit"
 
Limit definition from the KJV dictionary - I. The act of bounding. 2 - Restriction; restraint. As Christians, we are to know what God wants us to do, know what is ours according to God's Word and then seek after it with all our hearts. There should be no limitations, we are called to accomplish
"everything" that God has called us to be and called us to do. Proverbs 3:5-6 says - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Everyone longs for and chases things in this life that only God can provide. We all want peace, joy, love, purpose, etc. but these come only though God's Spirit. If there is a mountain (problem, sin, etc.) in your life today that's blocking God's purpose for you then unleash the power of the Holy Spirit, don't limit His ability to free you today!

The Evidence Of A True Gospel Transformed Life

-Today's Message-
 
"The evidence of a true Gospel transformed life"
Evidence = 1. One who bears witness. 2. That which tends to prove or disprove something. Throughout the scripture, there are tests and qualifications to know that you belong to God. A person who is a true Christian must live a Christ honoring, Christ obeying life or else they are a fraud. ! John 5:2 says - By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 1 John 4:9 says - In this the love of God was manifested toward us. Manifested means to make clear or evident. When a person truly has the love of God in their heart, it will always show through their actions. Are we living what we say? Better yet, are we living in demonstration of God's love and power? Is our lives a testimony of a true Gospel transformed life? We must remember, it is not us that does the transforming, it's us presenting ourselves to Christ and He is the One who molds us and shapes our lives into His image. Anyone can have a life that pleases the Father. What pleases Him is holding on to biblical faith and abiding in His love.